Beginner Powerbuilding Routine

[Barbecuebarbell]

Also, have any of you guys been on this program for awhile, what are your numbers as a result and how wold you compare it to say, the 70's big LP?

[grouchyjarhead]

Sorry for being absent for a while guys, I'll try to catch up.

Whats'up Fellas, I am currently working on The Big 70's LP but found this Sticky and I am Extremely interested in switching over.
How would one transition with a Bench-260, Squat-290, Press-160, Deadlift-305.

Some general questions I would want to ask. 1) I am starting a pretty physical job in a month any suggestions on training and working 2) What is a good general mobility/ warmup - I was thinking a quick mobility session and agility ladder or box jumps?- I limited time in weight room 3) I would want to add some conditioning- Weighted vest walk or 1 mile run on off days would be a good idea? 4) I want to add in Band pull apart for shoulder health, can done on training days.

Depending on your bodyweight, you could be a good candidate for the intermediate U/L I have, but if you're getting ready to start a tough job it might be wise to stick to what you know right now.

If you wanted to try this program, I'd suggest twice a week initially until you got used to your job then bump it up to three times and see how you feel. If you stick with the 70s Big LP (a great program by the way) I would just use the vanilla template until you get used to work before adding any accessory work.

Mobility-wise, it's just finding something that works for you. DeFranco's Agile 8/Limber 11 is good, so is any general warm-up which helps you feel loose and ready. I like Tim Anderson's Original Strength personally (think crawls, hip opening, rolls, and similar exercises).

Conditioning is a good idea, just keep it light like you were thinking. Like Justin Lascek says, "Keep your conditioning short and hard - just like your pecker." 10 minutes is pretty sustainable. If you want to go longer, save it for the weekend and do a weight vest walk. I typically save my long conditioning workouts for the weekend (I like to ruck/backpack).

Band pull aparts are fine, use it as a finisher.

[grouchyjarhead]

Hi Grouchy! This routine looks really good. I never tried a powerbuilding routine and I wanted to know if this would be a good fit for me. I'm currently cutting but I will probably start bulking again in september, but I was thinking of switching now even though I'm on a cut. Currently doing Fierce 5 Upper/Lower My numbers are:

Squat: 275x6
Bench: 175x6
Deadlift: 280x5
OHP: 115x6
Row: 140x6

I somewhat stalled on the upper lower due to being in a deficit but I also think I may have some linear progression gains to go. Would it be a good Idea to switch? Also, I i do decide to switch, should I alternate deads and RDL's?

You could still probably make some gains on linear progression, so it's up to you if you want to try it or not. If deadlifting twice a week is too much, there's the option to do a modified A-B-A in the main text. Once you get several weeks under it, you can add some RDLs at the end of your last squat workout for the week.

[grouchyjarhead]

So my main question is if the following program (it's the same I just added 1-2 exercises)?

Workout A
_____________________________
Squat - 5-4-3-2-1
Barbell Row - 3x6, 1x6+
Bench Press - 3x6, 1x6+
Chin Ups - 3xAMRAP
Lateral Raises - 4x10
Triceps Pressdown - 4x10
Calf Raises - 4x20


WORKOUT B
_____________________________
OHP - 3x6, 1x6+
Deadlift - 5-4-3-2-1
Lat Pulldown - 3x6, 1x6+
One Arm Rows - 2x20+
Biceps Curls - 4x10
Ab work

As you see i've added triceps,biceps, lateral raises, abs and calves.
I think doing only the compound lifts is quite not enough volume for muscle gains.
Sorry if I think wrong, I'm only 16 years old and thats my opinion, if I'm wrong I'd be happy if you explain me.

I also have a question about rear shoulders? I don't see any exercise for them.

As I see the exercises there will be a tremendous lats growth Barbell Rows, Lat Pulls, One Arm Rows, Chin Ups.

Also as it's A-B-A -> B-A-B, when I was doing Fierce 5 I added 1 more day for the lacking parts, I was doing chest and maybe lats or something for aesthetic purposes.
Can I add here 1 day for chest, forearms, calves, abs and maybe triceps a little bit because I want to grow it big ?

Thank you really a lot! In advance <3

It's better to follow the program as written for several weeks before adding anything else, as mentioned in the main text. In your example, you're going to hit lat raises and triceps pushdowns hard, then try to hit a new working weight in the press the next session. There's going to be some carryover fatigue in the initial stages at least.

No sense in trying to modify a program to suit your needs before you've even run the program to see how it does address what you need.

Also I've been doing 3x5 on compounds. Shouldn't I move to 5x5 now? Why is this 3x6, or maybe should I do 4x6?

It's actually 4x6, but the last set is for max reps.

[rafijr11]

What program exercise should i take while cutting. Btw i go to gym 5 times a week

[GazBenj90]

Hi guys. Another little update from me. First things first I think people really just need to stick to the basics here and follow the plan, it works strangely enough. I've been running this for months now and The only alteration I make is I'm feeling fresh I may chuck in a day of isolation exercises on a rest day but nothing heavy whatsoever. My core lift stats for any that are interested
Beginning (April)
Squat - 85kg
Bench - 85kg
Deadlift - 110kg

Now
Squat - 107.5kg
Bench - 92.5kg
Deadlift - 142.5kg

I've barely trained for the past 5 weeks because I've been on holiday but I'll have a solid 3 months where I'll be able to follow the routine exactly. Will post an update again then! Still love this grouchy btw, it's got staying power!

[Barbecuebarbell]

Curious, is this considered a true linear progression program? For example, it was compared to greyskull a bit in the OP, so I'm wondering hypothetically, if one person ran greyskull and another did this program, would they end up in the same place at the end, or does this program provide additional benefits?

[Reznovan]

What about training the calves?

[PogueMaahone]

Awesome program, grouchyjarhead.

I'm currently running GSLP. My stats (5"11 72kg/159lbs) are:

Deadlift 242lbs
Bench 170lbs
Squat 225lbs
OHP 99lbs (have rarely trained this)

Low numbers, but that's partly down to football (soccer) getting in the way. I have so much more linear progression to be made. A 315 deadlift will definitely be done before the year is done.

Anyway, I'm going to move over to your program, but I'm a bit confused as to how I use the 5+-4-3-2-1 method for squats/deadlifts. How do I calculate my working set? I'm assuming I wouldn't start with 242lbs? Excuse the ignorance - I'm currently reading through this thread (on page 6 atm).

Thanks.

Edit - Read through most of the thread now... and I think I understand it. Essentially, I'll start with 105kg (going to start a tiny bit "lighter") and do the following for deadlifts:

105kg 5+
110kg 4
115kg 3
120kg 2
125kg 1

Now, since I've been training for a year-and-a-half (not been fully committed), do you recommend I take 5kg/10lbs jumps like above? Or shall I try the following (add 2.5kg/5lbs) instead:

105kg 5+
107.5kg 4
110kg 3
112.5kg 2
115kg 1

[boondocked]

Wow this program looks fun, thanks for posting grouchyjarhead. I just finished Madcow 5x5 last month ended with decent numbers. Here are my 1RM for the big three:
Bench- 215lbs
Squat- 335lbs
DL- 345lbs

I wasn't able to test 1RM but was 110x5 on OHP and 145x5 on Pendlay Row. Current weight is 170lbs, height is 5'10".
I haven't worked out since then due to going on road trip. Would you recommend this program even though may be near a plateau? I felt I was plateauing OHP and possibly bench. I may still progress a little on the other lifts.

Thinking of beginning with 75% of 1RM and 80% of OHP and Pendlay and work up from there:
Week 1-
A
Bench 155lbs x3x6; 1x6+
Row 125lbs x3x6; 1x6+
Squat 250lbs x5+; 255x4; 260x3; 265x2; 275x1
Chin ups

B
OHP 90lbs x3x6; 1x6+
DL 260lbs x5+; 265x4; 270x3; 275x2; 280x1
Lat Pull ???? I'm able to do 6 clean pull ups so I'll need to check this
One Arm Row

I noticed you recommend alternating to RDL during BAB weeks, so I may do that as I may be too exhausted to progress from two DLs. Would you recommend front squats as an alternate during ABA weeks as well? I'm assuming a 3x6; 1x6 rep scheme for front squats would be better than 5,4,3,2,1?

Thanks for your insight.

[grouchyjarhead]

Curious, is this considered a true linear progression program? For example, it was compared to greyskull a bit in the OP, so I'm wondering hypothetically, if one person ran greyskull and another did this program, would they end up in the same place at the end, or does this program provide additional benefits?

Any properly designed linear progression program is going to give you results if you put in the effort, recover properly, and hit your nutrition goals. The main thing is just to find a program you like.

[grouchyjarhead]

What about training the calves?

After several weeks running the vanilla template, if you want to add accessory work there's options to do so.

[grouchyjarhead]

Awesome program, grouchyjarhead.

I'm currently running GSLP. My stats (5"11 72kg/159lbs) are:

Deadlift 242lbs
Bench 170lbs
Squat 225lbs
OHP 99lbs (have rarely trained this)

Low numbers, but that's partly down to football (soccer) getting in the way. I have so much more linear progression to be made. A 315 deadlift will definitely be done before the year is done.

Anyway, I'm going to move over to your program, but I'm a bit confused as to how I use the 5+-4-3-2-1 method for squats/deadlifts. How do I calculate my working set? I'm assuming I wouldn't start with 242lbs? Excuse the ignorance - I'm currently reading through this thread (on page 6 atm).

Thanks.

Edit - Read through most of the thread now... and I think I understand it. Essentially, I'll start with 105kg (going to start a tiny bit "lighter") and do the following for deadlifts:

105kg 5+
110kg 4
115kg 3
120kg 2
125kg 1

Now, since I've been training for a year-and-a-half (not been fully committed), do you recommend I take 5kg/10lbs jumps like above? Or shall I try the following (add 2.5kg/5lbs) instead:

105kg 5+
107.5kg 4
110kg 3
112.5kg 2
115kg 1

Yes, definitely start lighter. If those are your 1RMs, you're going to want to start a fair bit lighter than just 5kg off your max. Ideally starting 10-15% off of what you used to do your work sets of 5 with would probably be better (i.e. if your work sets of 5 were at 100kg, you would start at 85-90kg initially).

You can lower the weights you add each set if you think it would be more ideal to progress. Being that you have some lifting experience under your belt rather than a raw beginner, that would probably be a smarter approach.

[grouchyjarhead]

Wow this program looks fun, thanks for posting grouchyjarhead. I just finished Madcow 5x5 last month ended with decent numbers. Here are my 1RM for the big three:
Bench- 215lbs
Squat- 335lbs
DL- 345lbs

I wasn't able to test 1RM but was 110x5 on OHP and 145x5 on Pendlay Row. Current weight is 170lbs, height is 5'10".
I haven't worked out since then due to going on road trip. Would you recommend this program even though may be near a plateau? I felt I was plateauing OHP and possibly bench. I may still progress a little on the other lifts.

Thinking of beginning with 75% of 1RM and 80% of OHP and Pendlay and work up from there:
Week 1-
A
Bench 155lbs x3x6; 1x6+
Row 125lbs x3x6; 1x6+
Squat 250lbs x5+; 255x4; 260x3; 265x2; 275x1
Chin ups

B
OHP 90lbs x3x6; 1x6+
DL 260lbs x5+; 265x4; 270x3; 275x2; 280x1
Lat Pull ???? I'm able to do 6 clean pull ups so I'll need to check this
One Arm Row

I noticed you recommend alternating to RDL during BAB weeks, so I may do that as I may be too exhausted to progress from two DLs. Would you recommend front squats as an alternate during ABA weeks as well? I'm assuming a 3x6; 1x6 rep scheme for front squats would be better than 5,4,3,2,1?

Thanks for your insight.

Often going to a lighter weight and working back up to where you used to be is one of the best ways to break through strength plateaus. You won't see as many raw gains as someone just touching a barbell, but I imagine you would see some good progress.

Front squats are an option if you can't handle heavy back squatting twice a week. You can do either set-up for front squats if you wish, that's fine.

[KendallT]

You could still probably make some gains on linear progression, so it's up to you if you want to try it or not. If deadlifting twice a week is too much, there's the option to do a modified A-B-A in the main text. Once you get several weeks under it, you can add some RDLs at the end of your last squat workout for the week.

I want to try this but I really want to build muscle. Would I reset slightly so I could keep up with the progression? I also am concerned with balance,would you recommend adding facepulls after the A workouts? And one more question, for one arm rows one set equalsreps on borth arms? For example: 10 reps per arm for one set, correct?

[grouchyjarhead]

I want to try this but I really want to build muscle. Would I reset slightly so I could keep up with the progression? I also am concerned with balance,would you recommend adding facepulls after the A workouts? And one more question, for one arm rows one set equalsreps on borth arms? For example: 10 reps per arm for one set, correct?

Yes, you would reset to allow yourself room to build back up. There's a lot of upper body pulling in this routine, so face pulls aren't as much of a priority as they are for other routines. For example, in Workout A you're doing 4 work sets of bench and then 7 total sets of pulls. Workout B, 4 work sets of presses and 6 sets of rows.

For one-arm rows, that's per hand. Kroc rows are designed for high reps, so you want to try to do 20+ reps with each hand.

[grouchyjarhead]

Also realized my template image link is broken and not showing up anywhere in this thread. For reference.

WORKOUT A.
Bench 3x6, 1x6+
Pendlay Row 3x6, 1x6+
Squat 5+-4-3-2-1
Chin-Ups 3x AMRAP

WORKOUT B.
Standing Press 3x6, 1x6+
Deadlift 5+-4-3-2-1
Lat Pulldowns 3x6, 1x6+
Kroc Rows 1-2x AMRAP

[Baldeagle94]

Hey Grouchy, Do you have a link to your U/L split? Also, any social media/ training logs we can follow you on?

[orthomd22]

Correct. So if you do say 300x8, you would still progress 310x4, 320x3, 330x2, 340x1. You don't want to max out every workout.

And according to the weight progression the next workout would be 330x5+, 340x4, 350x3, 360x2, 370x1. Correct?

What do you recommend when grip limits DL? I have good bar speed with 275, but can't do more than a double because my grip slips. Should I incorporate some grip/forearm accessory stuff? Do more than 1 single at 285?

[grouchyjarhead]

Hey Grouchy, Do you have a link to your U/L split? Also, any social media/ training logs we can follow you on?

The upper lower is still in the testing stages. I have three guys running it right now. One is on here and I haven't heard from him in a bit. One is from another website and he is enjoying it although it was a bit rough for him at first. The third guy is making slow but steady progress with it.

I have a training journal here and on the Tactical Barbell forums. I'm definitely more of an endurance athlete these days though so my strength sessions tend to be twice a week and minimalist.

[grouchyjarhead]

And according to the weight progression the next workout would be 330x5+, 340x4, 350x3, 360x2, 370x1. Correct?

What do you recommend when grip limits DL? I have good bar speed with 275, but can't do more than a double because my grip slips. Should I incorporate some grip/forearm accessory stuff? Do more than 1 single at 285?

I would stick to no more than 20 pound increases for squats/deadlifts. If you're an older trainee, 10 might be even better.

Have you tried a mixed or hook grip?

[Ginaathletic]

I want to start power-building too. This is very helpful!

[KendallT]

Yes, you would reset to allow yourself room to build back up. There's a lot of upper body pulling in this routine, so face pulls aren't as much of a priority as they are for other routines. For example, in Workout A you're doing 4 work sets of bench and then 7 total sets of pulls. Workout B, 4 work sets of presses and 6 sets of rows.

For one-arm rows, that's per hand. Kroc rows are designed for high reps, so you want to try to do 20+ reps with each hand.

Thanks for the reply Grouchy! One more question, if I were to switch could i add in some tyoe of incline movement? Or could i switch the bench on one of the days to 15-30 degree incline? I say this because I want a little more upper chest work than I've been getting. If not thats fine.

[grouchyjarhead]

Once you work the program as written for 8-12 weeks you can begin focusing on areas you wish to improve. As mentioned before, one per workout is best to add at first, and dumbbell exercises for upper body would be my personal choice for extra mass outside of the basic exercises.

[ahawk01]

I'm willing to give this a shot...


Starting today here are my maxes

Bench 305
Squat 450
Deadlift 550

I'm looking to get closer to 1400 total for a powerlifting meet in February. I figure it's better to put your goals up. My bench has been lagging. I think I've overtrained it this year. I have made gains in my rep ranges but no prs on maxes in over a year. I'm hoping with decreasing frequency of working out that this helps my bench climb.

[OldFartTom]

Great write-up, but I respectfully disagree with the above regarding no direct arm work. Yes, arms will grow following the routine and eating properly, but the question is will they grow optimally and to the desired level of what most male trainees prefer - I'd say no.

What is the "desired level of what most trainees prefer"?

Some want big pumped biceps as their number 1 priority, fine... run a body building program.

Some want strength in Squat Bench Dead L as their number 1 priority, great.. run this program then.

[grouchyjarhead]

I'm willing to give this a shot...


Starting today here are my maxes

Bench 305
Squat 450
Deadlift 550

I'm looking to get closer to 1400 total for a powerlifting meet in February. I figure it's better to put your goals up. My bench has been lagging. I think I've overtrained it this year. I have made gains in my rep ranges but no prs on maxes in over a year. I'm hoping with decreasing frequency of working out that this helps my bench climb.

You have some solid numbers to begin with, I don't know if you would get as much out of this as a beginner lifter. I would start off light and use a modest progression at first, follow this as some off season training, then switch to something more PL-specific when you start preparing for the next competition.

[GazBenj90]

Hi team,

Another update in. Been deployed for 7 weeks now which means i've been able to follow this strictly. My full updated results now are:

Beginning (Apr 17)
OHP - 37.5kg
Deads - 110kg
Bench - 85kg
Squat - 85kg

Now
OHP - 47.5kg
Deads - 145kg x 5
Bench - 100kg
Squat - 107.5kg x 5

I now chuck in isolation days in between the regular lift days, but only 5 sets at reasonably light weights, feel it loosens me up a bit and doesnt hamper the main days. Ive found that one lift will make big progress over a few weeks time while the others stay steady and then another one will plateau while another one goes up. Still loving this and intend to stick with it for at least another 7 months got a boner when i got 4x6 on 100kg for bench, my deadlift could be better but my grip is letting me down, something i aim to rectify with straps shortly. By now I prioritise form over everything else so other exercises are slower going for progress such as Pendlay and Pull ups but as long as something is getting heavier then i really dont mind!

[grouchyjarhead]

Hi team,

Another update in. Been deployed for 7 weeks now which means i've been able to follow this strictly. My full updated results now are:

Beginning (Apr 17)
OHP - 37.5kg
Deads - 110kg
Bench - 85kg
Squat - 85kg

Now
OHP - 47.5kg
Deads - 145kg x 5
Bench - 100kg
Squat - 107.5kg x 5

I now chuck in isolation days in between the regular lift days, but only 5 sets at reasonably light weights, feel it loosens me up a bit and doesnt hamper the main days. Ive found that one lift will make big progress over a few weeks time while the others stay steady and then another one will plateau while another one goes up. Still loving this and intend to stick with it for at least another 7 months got a boner when i got 4x6 on 100kg for bench, my deadlift could be better but my grip is letting me down, something i aim to rectify with straps shortly. By now I prioritise form over everything else so other exercises are slower going for progress such as Pendlay and Pull ups but as long as something is getting heavier then i really dont mind!

Solid progress! Thanks for the update! Keep safe on your deployment.

EDIT: Converted to pounds for the metrically challenged.

Beginning (Apr 17)
OHP - 82.5#
Deads - 242#
Bench - 187#
Squat - 187#

Now
OHP - 104.5#
Deads - 319# x5
Bench - 242#
Squat - 236.5#

[fitnesscouching]

...snip...........